The Weekend Warrior: July 13 – 15

The Warrior’s Battle Cry asks the question, “Does Potter Stand a Chance?” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be #1 this weekend and though the last four installments of the franchise made over $85 million their opening weekends, this is the first movie in the series based on J. K. Rowling’s novels that opens on a Wednesday. It’s likely that the many diehard fans will be racing out to see it as soon as possible, which could keep the weekend from crossing the $80 million mark although the $50 to 60 million it makes in its first two days should more than make up for it. After a couple delays, After Dark Films releases the horror-thriller Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert, and while the best thing going for it is the controversial poster campaign and the Friday 13th release date, it’s still likely to wind up outside the Top 5, which will be filled up with the popular summer blockbusters like Transformers and Ratatouille.